Red Hot k► Garage Problem. Garage Solution. GARAGE STORAGE SYSTEMS Garage a Mate (313) 583-2707 580 E. Maple Road, Troy, MI 48083 54 HOME tems are two accessories geared to wood-burning fireplaces. A fireback is a black cast-iron plate positioned against the back wall of a fireplace; it is used to increase the radiant heat output of the fireplace. Pennsylvania Firebacks make a series of designs priced from $150 to $300. Hearth Shoppe Products makes Saf- T-Grates. These unique grates contain numerous holes and slots rather than just bars, and can be expanded in size. Saf-T-Grates keep hot embers closer to the burning logs, which allows for a more efficient, slower burning fire. The basic 22-inch section costs about $65. Fireplace tools have moved beyond the traditional brass set with colonial finials. Virginia Metalcrafters, known for their museum-quality reproduc- tions of fireplace utensils, is making handsome white bronze tool sets and andirons with striking contemporary styling. Pilgrim offers a bold design for tools in brass and black or brass and glass. Stone Country Ironworks hand- forges tools in artistic patterns like the Grapecluster, Ram's Head, Longhorn and Leaf. A fireplace tool set which includes a shovel, poker, brush and sometimes tongs, sells from $80 to over $500 for an ornate style. Elderly Options Continued from Page 49 portive care facility for seniors, a home for those who are more depen- dent, which provides assistance for activities for daily living such as meals, housekeeping, and has a nurse on duty. "The phenomenon of aging in place is becoming an increasingly impor- tant factor in building and develop- ing senior housing," reports Brigit Hassig, housing specialist for the Area Agency on Aging, Southfield. "Although people 85 plus are the fastest growing population group, most of them won't need nursing homes if we can provide adequate services. The problem is that for the middle and upper income elderly person there are many such facilities available. For those with lower in- come, the waiting list to get into one of the subsidized facilities averages about five years. Not many developers want to get involved with these projects because of the regula- tions and costs, and few in the non- profit sector have a good under- standing of working with the govern- ment. The result is often a lack of housing for those who need it the most." One development which is trying to meet the needs of the elderly is Windemere. Windemere„ located on Farmington Road in West Bloomfield, has added a supportive unit for memory-impaired residents. As more of us live longer, we will all want housing options that provide safe, suitable physical space along with access to community resources. We may want to shop, worship and volunteer without driving our own car. We may want to be close to our children or select a residence that of- fers a myriad of activities. We want this range of housing choices to be financially within our means. Sadly, the answer to these issues now lies with very fragmented public policies on long-term care for the elderly and biased in favor of institu- tional care. Most of the legislative proposals in Congress lack a real understanding of the critical relation- Congress must address the issues of housing and social services for the elderly. ships among housing, social services and health policies. Most assume long-term care belongs in the health- policy domain. Most older people prefer to age in a place of their choice rather than be forced to move to a nursing home when they become too frail to manage by themselves. Facing a dramatic growth of the elderly population in the next generation, we need to decide whether to support older persons in residential rather than in institutional environments.